Home Bar Plans

These home bar plans are designed to hold a small refrigerator on the
left and glass shelves on the right. This particular buffet style
of bar designs stands next to a wall and has front access to the
refrigerator and shelves.

The dimensions of the refrigerator space for these home bar plans
were designed specifically for the Sanyo SR-4912M 4.9 Cu. Ft.
counter height refrigerator. I wanted this particular refrigerator
because it does not have a freezer unit and is capable of holding a 5
gallon Cornelius keg and a CO2 tank. See below.

If you are not a home brewer, you might consider a different size
refrigerator that includes a freezer. It all depends on your
needs. If you don't already have a refrigerator, I recommend
purchasing one before you build this bar. You can get the exact
dimensions of your refrigerator before you design the size of the
opening.

The width of the shelf opening was determined by the size of some
glass shelves that I have had stored in my garage for over 10 years.

The wood used in these home bar plans are mostly Western Red cedar
and oak plywood. I used 2x4 pine (that it not seen when the bar is
finished) to frame the base of the bar, and some aluminum strapping
(also not seen) to tie in the top of the refrigerator opening. I
did this to keep the height of the bar to 42" (+/-), and to provide
structure for the bar frame.

Note: I use the formats 25" and
25 inches interchangeably throughout this
document.

Front Dimensions

Side Dimensions

Purchasing the Wood

If you choose to use Western Red cedar for your home bar furniture, as I
did, you might find that there are a few challenges out there. I think
Western Red cedar is beautiful wood, but it was difficult to find nice
straight pieces that didn't have too much character.

This wood is typically used for fencing or deck building, but it can
be sanded down to a nice smooth finish, and used to build just about
anything. I visited two or three different lumber yards before I
found one with sufficient quantity of Western Red cedar to pick through
and find the best looking pieces for my home bar.

Home Bar Plans - Assembly

Materials List:

Material

Size

Quantity

Western Red cedar

4" x 4" x 8'

3

Western Red cedar

2" x 4" x 8'

3

Oak plywood

4' x 8'

1

Hex screws and washers

4" x 1/4"

6

Hex screws and washers

1.5" x 1/4"

60

Corner braces

5" x 5"

10

Preparing the materials:

Cut the 4x4 posts to the length specified in the drawing(s). Sand the 4x4
posts and 2x4 trim until they are smooth. Apply one coat of
polyurethane to all of the cedar parts and let them dry at least 24 hours.
Lightly sand the parts again with fine sand paper. Apply another coat
of polyurethane to all of the parts and let them dry another 24 hours.

Assembling the frame:

The easiest way to build this home bar furniture is to assemble the
front and back sections first, then tie two sections together with the
oak plywood base, 2x4 trim, and corner braces.

Starting with the back section, on a flat surface, lay out three of
the 38.5 inch 4x4 posts. Cut one piece of 2x4 cedar trim 28.25
inches and one piece of 1.5 inch x 3 inch framing material 59.5 inches.

Space the posts apart as shown in diagram A.
Using a framing square, square all of the corners and attach the 1.5" x
3" (actual size) x 59.5" wood framing member to the bottom of each post
using one .25" x 4" hex screw and washer per post.

Attach the 2x4 trim piece as shown in diagrams A and
B. Ensure that the corners are square and attach
the 5" corner braces with .25" x 1.5" hex screws and washers.

Cut a piece of metal strapping (I used a piece of aluminum that I
bought from the hardware store - 1/8 inch thick and 1 inch wide) 27.5
inches, so that it overlaps each of the two posts 1.5 inches.
Drill a hole in each end of the metal strapping and secure it to the top
of the posts using a wood screw. See diagrams A
and
B below.

Using the steps above, cut and assemble the parts for the front
section. Keep in mind that the front section is the mirror image
of the back section - the dimensions are flipped.

(A) - Home Bar Plans - Back Section

(B) Home Bar Plans - Back Section
(assembled)

Cut the plywood base as indicated in diagram C. To
be absolutely precise with the notch cuts, you can cut the plywood to its
base dimensions (20.5" x 59.5"), then hold it up to the front and back
sections of the bar and mark the exact location of the posts. The
depth of all of the notches is 1.5 inches.

(C) Home Bar Plans - Plywood Base

The exploded view, of this home bar furniture, below shows how the back
section and front section of the bar tie together. In this diagram,
the lower cedar trim on the back side of the bar, and the upper-right 2x4
trim is not shown.

Also, the metal strapping is shown attached to the top-middle of each
post. It is best to attach them on the inside-top part of the
posts, as shown in diagram B. This way, they don't interfere with
the bar top.

(D) Home Bar Plans - Framing Plan

The diagram below shows the frame completely assembled, with a cutaway of
the base to provide further clarity on how the base plywood is supported and
trimmed. Diagram F shows the detail view of the
bottom base framing, plywood and trim.

(E) Home Bar Plans - Framing Plan -
(completed)

(F) - Base Trim Detail

The actual dimensions of the top plywood section with 2x3 cedar support
is 64.5" x 25.5". When the outer 1x2 trim is added, the dimensions
become 66" x 27". You can use any method you prefer to attach the
cedar support and outer trim to the plywood top, but I preferred to glue and
clamp all of the pieces to eliminate nail holes.

Once the top is assembled, sand it smooth with fine sand paper, apply
a coat of polyurethane, let dry 24 hours (or longer), sand again with a
very fine sand paper, apply the final coat of polyurethane.

(G) Home Bar Plans - Bar Top

Final notes:

This home bar furniture was relatively easy to build. I put a
lot of thought into the structure and size of the openings, etc., to
accommodate my refrigerator and glass shelves.

The Sanyo SR-4912M 4.9 Cu. Ft refrigerator
can be converted to a kegerator, though this is not manufacturer's
recommendation, there are several websites that provide the details.

I didn't attach the bar top to the bar frame. The weight of the
bar top holds it firmly on the frame. I also left it unattached to
leave the option open to do the kegerator conversion and add a tap to
the top of the bar at a later date.

Please verify all of the measurements before cutting any wood.

I hope you enjoy building this home bar furniture. If you have
any questions or suggestions about bar designs, I would love to
hear them. Please
send me a note.
Cheers!